Somebody Told Me
by Raptor3ggs
Summary: My boyfriend goes to a different school than me - that's alright, though, because I know Makoto loves me. Still, it wouldn't hurt to visit him at his new school, Meiou Private Academy, would it? Or, wait. Maybe it would... ONE-SHOT.


My boyfriend goes to a different school than me - and I hate it. We hardly get to see each other, and when we do it's not for very long because he has to go home and do homework - all the freaking time.

Most girls would immediately be suspicious if they were being blown off for homework everyday, but I knew it was necessary for him to be able to keep up with his class. Makoto went to Meiou Private Academy - he was a scholarship student, and if he didn't keep his grades up, he wouldn't be able to keep going.

He wanted to have a good future, and a good future starts with a good school. So it's understandable, really, if he leaves me alone to work on the future for us. We'll be able to have a good life after all this. So it's worth it.

Makoto and I have been dating since elementary school - we were practically inseparable, our mothers grew up together and practically shoved us together, not that either of us argued. We were a happy couple, we went out on a date at least once a month, and we talked on the phone a lot. So even if he was no where near me, it still felt like we were close.

"Bull _crap,_" Hitomi said, slamming her bento against my desk forcefully. "You can't be happy with a relationship like that."

I looked up at her, surprised, "I am, though. I mean, I would like to see him more, but I just can't. Meiou is a long way from here, it's not like we can meet up on the weekdays or anything. Makoto apologizes all the time for us not being able to see each other more often, but, as I said, it's just how it is-"

"Bull _crap,_" she repeated. Hitomi was a new student and a new friend, and had asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend, _because you're so pretty, _she had said. I explained my relationship with Makoto with her dutifully, but she didn't seem to really understand. Not that I was surprised, no one else understood either. Makoto and I... we're special. He said so all the time. We're not like other couples, we don't need to see each other all the time to be in love.

"Look, Hitomi-chan, I don't expect you to understand, but we can't help the distance -"

"NO, I mean, _BULL CRAP - _Meiou isn't that far away from here at all!"

I blinked, "What do you mean? Of course it is - Makoto said -"

"_Makoto said, Makoto said - _Look, I'm a transfer student - I _came_ from Meiou. The only reason I'm here is because I couldn't keep up. It takes me the same time to get to school now as it did back then. You could probably get there in time to walk home with him."

I processed this. "I guess Makoto just didn't know where my school was, " I muttered, looking to the side.

"I'm so sure," she snorted, and I knitted my eyebrows together. I know she meant well, but Hitomi was starting to bother me. _People don't like what they can't understand, _I reminded myself, _she's probably just jealous._ "Look, I'll write you directions - go there after school and walk home with him. You guys could at least spend _that_ time together."

"He has club activities after school," I protested, "I can't just show up at some other school and -"

"That's perfect, then. Just surprise him. You're not going to get in trouble, Meiou likes visitors. They try to recruit anyone who comes within a five mile radius, no joke."

"But -" I stopped, looking down. I had to admit, the thought of walking home with Makoto was intoxicating enough for me to go with it. I nodded when she asked if I still wanted a map. It had been almost two weeks since I had seen him, anyway. I'm sure Makoto would love this surprise.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face when Hitomi handed the map over to me.

* * *

><p>Hitomi had been right when she had said Meiou wasn't that far away - though I did run a good part of my journey, so that probably helped with the time - she was also right when she has said that they didn't mind visitors. In fact, several people asked if I needed directions, or wanted a list of clubs, and some even asked me when I would be starting school - to all of these I said "<em>Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just here to see my boyfriend"<em> - but even though I showed no interest in joining the school, they were all still really nice.

"Makoto-san? Oh, he's probably getting his bag," one student told me, "we're in the same club, and we just got out."

"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed, almost jumping up and down with joy, "Do you know what class he's in?"

"A-2, I think," she shrugged, "He's my senpai, so I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but he was heading that way." she pointed behind her.

"Thank, thank, thank, _thank_ you!" I embraced her in a quick hug and then took off running. I glanced at each classroom as I passed it - C-2, B-2, and, ah! A-2! I skidded to a stop and peeked inside the window on the door. He was there! I almost opened it, since it was already slightly ajar, but I noticed someone else was in there. From the look on Makoto's face, I could tell something serious was going on. I pressed my back against the wall, unable to resist eavesdropping.

"Makoto-kun, I got your letter. I'm not sure I really understand what you're asking, though." the voice was soft, questioning. I almost peeked in to see the face that belonged to it, but didn't want to risk it.

"I - I didn't want to just write it outright on the letter - I didn't know if you would show up at all if I did. I know you get bothered a lot about this, and all, but..."

"Makoto-kun...?" The voice trailed off.

"I... I love you, Minamino." Makoto said, and I couldn't help but gasp. I clamped my hand over my mouth, quickly, trying to pretend I hadn't heard anything. But Makoto kept going, "I've loved you since I saw you three years ago on the train - I wasn't sure who you were, so I asked a few people, and they told me that you went to school here. I - I worked hard. I studied constantly so that I could come to this school and be with you. "

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was impossible. I peeked through the window again, trying to see this other person. They had long, red hair, but they were turned away from me. I could not make out anything else about their appearance, but I noticed she wasn't wearing a skirt, but was instead wearing pants.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry Makoto-kun, but... I thought you had a girlfriend."

My heart stopped.

Makoto looked angry, "I do, but she's just... my mother won't let me break up with her. Her family's poor, so I'm supposed to "take care of her-" I don't like her, I hardly see her. She's not important to me. I only love you, Minamino, I promise."

The silence felt worse than when they were talking. It gave me too much time to go over what I had just heard, too much time to let the tears start. And then the girl - Minamino - started talking.

"That poor girl," she said, "but I'm sorry. I'm not _like_ that. Even if I were, I don't think you're my type," she laughed slightly, "A man is supposed to treat their woman as an equal. The fact that you would disrespect her enough to not tell her your true feelings is-"

"Minamino -"

"We're done here, Makoto-kun," She started to turn, so I pressed my back against the wall again, trying to wipe the tears from my face before she would see me. I wanted to run, in all honesty, but I couldn't will my legs to move at all.

The door creaked open, and our eyes met as she walked out. Her face was pretty, delicate - but, I noticed, for all its beauty, she was obviously not a "she," but a "he."

That just made me feel worse.

There was a sad look in his eye - I suppose he realized from the fact our uniforms were different and the _tears_ that I was that girlfriend Makoto didn't care about. Minamino walked away, and I heard Makoto start to walk towards the door.

I stepped in front of him, my hands curled into fists at my sides. The sadness was finally turning into anger, I realized, when I started screaming at him. He was certainly surprised to see me here, and for good reason. He had told me Meiou was far away, probably so he could be with Minamino and not have to worry about me figuring out, or probably so he had an excuse not to see me, I don't care which, because it didn't matter anymore. What did matter is that I had _lived_ for Makoto - I had turned down _guy _after _guy_ for him, I had blown off going out with friends so I could visit him - JUST SO THAT HE COULD DITCH ME FOR A _GUY._

I had screamed all of this at him and more, making sure that he understood _exactly_ how I felt. He started to try and defend himself, but I didn't let him. Instead, I slapped him across the face, hard, and told him that he could just go _kill himself_ because I didn't care about him, either.

It was a lie, though. No matter how betrayed I felt, I still loved him. But I couldn't be with him, not after that. I stormed out of the school, wiping furiously at my face. The tears wouldn't stop, though, so I gave up. I just let them fall.

"You deserve better," I stopped, turning to see Minamino leaning against the entrance to the school. "You don't need to cry over someone like that."

I couldn't help but feel like this was Minamino's fault, if he hadn't been _alive_, Makoto would still love me. We would still be... "I love him," I sobbed, "and you took him from me."

Minamino looked sad, but at the same time a little tired. He stepped forward, "Let me walk you home...?"

"Ayumi," I said, realizing he was waiting for my name. I shook my head, "and I don't need company."

A chuckle, "You don't think he deserves a little revenge? I don't think he'd like seeing us walk together."

He had a point, "I live a little past the station," I mumbled, and we started walking. I saw Makoto staring at us as he left the building, and couldn't help but love the look of surprise/borderline anger on his face.

"He's a jerk," I said eventually, after we had been walking for awhile. "But I know myself. If he tries to ask me for forgiveness, I'll end up giving it to him."

Minamino shook his head, "You shouldn't. He doesn't deserve it."

"Why are you being so _nice_ about this?" I asked, frustrated.

"Because," he shrugged, "I don't take betrayal very well, and I can't just leave a woman crying."

I let out a sobby-sigh, "I love him."

Minamino said nothing for awhile, "Why?"

I was a little surprised at the question, "Because. I just... I've always been around him, and he's always been nice to me. We've just been... I'm just so... _used_ to him being _there, _even though we never really see each other. He... he said he loved me. And..." I thought, briefly, of our first kiss, our first night together, and I hated myself for giving that to him. "I've just always thought that if you love someone, you belong to them, and they to you. But apparently I just belong to him, and he... I guess he was never mine." fresh tears started burning at the edge of my vision, and I tried to blink them back, "I'll never be able to stop loving him."

My small house looked even smaller after I had heard Makoto call me poor, but I was still happy to see the familiar home. It meant I was almost able to collapse on my bed and cry all night long. I turned to say goodbye to Minamino, but he was looking through his bag. he pulled out a small rectangular object and held it out to me - at first I thought it was an eraser, but then I realized it was "Chocolate?"

He nodded, "I've never been in a situation like yours, but I know what it feels like to love someone. I can't imagine how it must feel to not have those feelings returned, but ... Chocolate releases endorphins into the body, and while it probably won't help much, it might make you feel a little better," a small smile, "perhaps, after you sleep for awhile, you'll find you feel _much_ better."

I blinked, slowly taking the candy from him. I stopped feeling like this was his fault, then, because he had been so nice to me. I popped the chocolate into my mouth, thanking him as he started to walk away. It tasted sweeter than I had been expecting, and had an aftertaste of some kind of herb, not mint, but maybe...

* * *

><p>I had expected to cry myself to sleep, but I didn't. I had expected to wake up and break down, but I didn't. And when Makoto showed up in the morning to plead for me to explain how I had known Minamino, to plead for me to take him back, to plead, for so many things, I had expected to take him back, to embrace him and kiss him and pretend nothing had happened - but I didn't.<p>

Because I felt nothing for him at all. He was nothing, and I understood then what Minamino had said - that he didn't deserve me, that he probably didn't deserve anyone. I didn't love him anymore, and I couldn't understand why, but I felt stronger because of it.

So I slapped Makoto again and pushed him out of my house, locking the door and feeling better for it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Ah, man. So I've been thinking about a one-shot like this for awhile, remembering Kurama's dream flower pollen - how he had said he had erased Maya's memories, and her "feelings" for him. So I thought, hey, so could use that for other people, too. Like, as an act of mercy... or pity. I don't know. I just wanted to write and I have writers block for everything else I'm working on Dx (Sorry Work For It fans - I'll get on it, I swear!)

+5 Points if you get the title reference.


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